All I Want Is You
by pikagurl23
Summary: X-mas fic! When Team Rocket's newest scheme to steal pokemon results in a success, Brock and Misty are caught right in the middle of it! How will Ash save them and learn that X-mas can produce little miracles that he could have never thought possible.


Disclaimer: Don't Own Pokemon!

A/N: Okay, so way back when I first started writing fanfiction, I only wrote dialogue with very little description. I wrote this story a while back and meant to start it earlier, before Christmas, but with my internet issues, that didn't quite happen. Either way, I hope you all enjoy it and thanks for all the patience as far as my updates are concerned. Another quick warning: back when I originally wrote this, the series was still set in Johto, so I am going with that, however, slightly altering the ages.

*Warning: This fic is long (34 pages to be exact). You've been warned!

Ash: 17

Misty: 18

Brock: 19

All I Want Is You

The nearby Pidgey and Spearow cawed as the first rays of sunlight sprayed its brilliance through the dense forest as a sleepy groan could be heard from the confines of a single sleeping bag. A Pikachu was curled neatly on top, its pointed ears twitching with the sudden mixture of sound emanating from the deep forest.

"Chaaa…" it yawned, its tiny mouth hanging open for a fraction of a second before its dark eyes flickered open to gaze upon its surroundings.

Slowly getting up and stretching much like a cat would, the Pikachu shook itself of any remaining sleep and sniffed the air for a moment before its eyes lit up in anticipation.

Scampering to its still sleeping trainer, Pikachu gently shook the covers of his sleeping bag, but only receiving light groans in response.

"Pikapi, pikachu pika!" the electric type urged.

Another groan was heard before the said trainer finally pulled down his covers, finally giving into the protests of his best pokemon friend.

Ash Ketchum groggily opened his deep brown eyes, head still flat on his pillow, as he stared up and into the bright blue sky. Seeing the perfect day they had been blessed with (always a good omen for pokemon training), he let a small smile grace his lips as he rolled over and onto his stomach, folding his arms in front of him to support his head.

"Pika?" asked the pokemon, cocking its head to one side and staring at its trainer in a confused manner.

"Morning pal," yawned Ash as he reached out an arm to pet his pokemon behind the ear, which only resulted in a contented purr.

"It's about time you got up," came a reprimanding voice to Ash's right.

Ash, immediately recognizing the voice, rolled his eyes in a playful manner and sighed deeply.

"Well, good morning to you too, Mist," came Ash's sarcastic retort, as he craned his neck to face her.

Misty Waterflower let a playful smirk form on her lips, before she crossed her arms and stared down at her traveling companion and best friend. She sat herself cross-legged in front of Ash and stared at him in an amused sort of way.

"Thinking of sleeping all day, Mr. Pokemon Master?" she teased, ruffling his already messy black hair.

"Oh, like _you've_ never slept in a day in your life?" he responded playfully, pulling her hand away from his hair and bolting out of his sleeping bag, catching Misty off guard and causing her to stumble backwards, "Real smooth."

"Oh, shut up!" she replied, swatting a hand at him and feeling slightly embarrassed for her clumsiness.

Dodging her advances, Ash only smiled and looked at her thoughtfully, "Now is that any way to treat your friends on Christmas?"

"For your information," she paused, to collect herself and picked herself up off of the floor to tower over him, "Christmas is tomorrow, therefore, I don't need to act nice to you on any other day _other_ than tomorrow."

Ash stood to face her, as he was now towering well over her, "So I only get one day out of the whole damn 365 days of the year that you're nice to me?"

"You're a smart kid, I'm sure you can figure it out," she smiled sweetly and turned on her heels to leave, but not before Ash grabbed her shoulder to stop her retreat.

"Is there any _other_ particular reason you would be nicer to me tomorrow than any other day?" he asked, though the tone in his voice suggested he knew the answer.

Misty turned and merely stared at him with confused eyes.

"Maybe, I don't know, you wanted to catch me under the mistletoe, cause-you know-I would completely and utterly understand why you'd want such a hot guy to-ow! What was that for?!" he remarked, rubbing his sore head from which Misty had just retracted her hand.

Her cheeks were flushed a light shade of pink as she pulled her hand away from the boy's head and crossed her arms in front of her.

"For saying stupid things," replied Misty shortly, turning on her heels and stalking off to where Brock Slate, their other traveling companion, was currently cooking breakfast and chuckling lightly to himself about the argument that had just ensued between his two friends.

Ash, still rubbing his head to relieve himself of the throbbing sensation, looked down to where Pikachu was still standing.

"Why does she have to be so physical?" he whispered, hoping his friends wouldn't hear him.

Pikachu, however, only shrugged and let out a small sigh of exasperation at its trainer before rejoining Misty and Brock by the campfire.

After breakfast had been finished, everyone had dressed and packed their personal belongings for the short trek into the next town.

Brock, always the voice of reason and designated map carrier, shouldered his pack before examining the map and figuring out the best route with which to get to their next destination.

"So, where to?" asked Ash, peering over his older friend's shoulder as Pikachu bounded onto Ash's to get a better look.

"Hmm…" Brock mused, tracing his finger across one of the path's he had been examining, "Well, the bad news is that there's no gym in the next town, but the good news is that the next town isn't too far off. So, what do you say we take a little break and enjoy the holidays the city has to offer?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun!" remarked Misty excitedly.

"I guess it's fine with me too then. You okay with a little break, buddy?" asked Ash, turning to the pokemon on his shoulder.

"Pi!" it responded, nodding its little head vigorously.

"I guess that settles it then," announced Brock, folding up the map and leading the way out of the thick forest, "This is great! I'll be able to finish all of my Christmas shopping in one fell swoop."

"Same here," commented Misty, as she followed both Brock and Ash, taking up the rear, "We didn't get to do much in the last town, did we?"

Both boys and Pikachu shook their heads in response to her question as all three friends fell into a comfortable silence, each thinking of the holiday to come.

Misty sighed quietly to herself, fingering the strap of her red drawstring pack, as she continued to stare up and into the bright blue sky. The day was absolutely beautiful, save for the slight chill in the air, and she couldn't have asked for a more perfect setting. As she continued to walk, she watched the dew glistening on the leaves of the nearby bushes and trees and smiled contently to herself.

For some odd reason, Misty felt an interesting sense of renewal. Perhaps it was because of the holidays that made her feel born again, as if she could do anything she wanted or accomplish any goal she desired.

It was then that she let her eyes wander to the raven-haired trainer in front of her and felt her cheeks burn with a fire she had kept in her heart that was reserved only for him.

Ash was talking amiably to Brock about their future plans when they got to the next town and was laughing every now and then during their conversation. His eyes always seemed to light up with his laughter and, it was something Misty had always admired about him.

She smiled after him and wondered to herself when she had begun to see her best friend as something a little more. When had she started feeling extremely happy whenever he was around her? When did it start that her body felt warm whenever he spoke, laughed, or even argued with her?

When, _oh when_, did she start to have feelings for Ash Ketchum?

Shaking her head in simple confusion and a bit frustration, Misty trudged on, wondering how she had fallen so hard for the young trainer she had once considered an immature little kid.

Brock turned discreetly around and watched as Misty followed them, though her eyes seemed glazed over in deep thought. Now was his chance…

He nudged Ash's arm lightly, getting his attention, and whispered, "So Ash…have you gotten anything for Misty for Christmas yet?"

Ash raised a brow at his curious friend, who now had a mischievous grin plastered on his face, and lightly chuckled to himself.

"And why would that be any of your business?" Ash whispered back.

Brock only shrugged and folded his arms behind his head.

"Because I like to make it my business," the breeder responded casually.

Ash took a peek behind them to make sure Misty wasn't discreetly listening in on their conversation or watching them before he signaled for Pikachu to grab a tiny box out of his pack.

"Pika!" announced the pokemon, as it supplied Ash with a small velvet box, no larger than a pokeball.

Ash handed the box over to a surprised looking Brock and prodded him to open it. Slowly, as though something were going to pop out at him, he lifted the lid and gaped at what laid inside.

Sitting on a small silk pillow, a cerulean colored crystal pendant lay neatly inside. It was the familiar shape of a water droplet and had a long silver chain attached at the end, as both the pendant and the chain sparkled in the early morning sunlight.

"What do you think?" asked Ash, watching Brock for some sort or reaction, other than complete and utter shock.

"Ash, is this--"

"It's a replica of the Cerulean City gym badge. I had it custom made back in the last town," he explained, before becoming suddenly more quiet than before, "Do-Do you think she'll like it?"

Brock gaped at his younger friend, wondering how any girl wouldn't want such an extravagant gift. But, as Brock knew almost all too well, Misty was _not_ just any girl…especially to Ash.

"She'll love it pal. Trust me on this one," reassured Brock, as he closed the lid and handed it back to Ash, "But why the need to impress her?" he asked, a knowing smile crawling to the corners of his lips.

Ash only smiled and flicked the lid open once more to gaze at the pendant's beauty, "Well, I know we don't get to go home quite as much as we would like sometimes. And I know she gets homesick, so I kind of thought to get her a little something to remind her of home when we're away. I mean, she's been with us for so long, I just thought…"

At this, Ash trailed off and averted his eyes behind him to steal a glance at his female traveling companion. He watched as she continued to fiddle with her bag strap absentmindedly and smiled at the somewhat dazed look on her face.

She truly had grown into her looks and by far surpassed the beauty of all three of her sisters in Ash's honest opinion. He really did admire her for her tough exterior, her strong resolve, and the way she never let anyone get her down.

Perhaps these were a few of the many reasons why he had fallen for her.

"Pikapi?" whispered Pikachu, poking its dazed trainer in the head.

"Huh?"

It pointed its paw in Brock's direction as Ash's eyes followed and noticed that Brock was giving him a smirk.

"Uh…what's up with you Brock?" asked Ash nervously before closing the lid of the jewelry box and placing it back in his bag.

"I think I have you all figured out," he said tauntingly, "You really should just tell her already and get it over w--"

"I plan on it," Ash interrupted, catching Brock totally off-guard.

"Y-You are?" he stuttered and looked to Pikachu for confirmation, to which it responded with a simple nod and a 'Pika.'

Ash nodded nervously and stared at the ground, biting his lip in the process.

Brock, sensing his friend's uneasiness, placed a comforting hand on Ash's shoulder and nodded confidently. Ash looked up at his long time friend and gave him a tentative smile.

"Don't worry bro. I have a sixth sense about things like this and I think you two will be okay in the end," he reassured, throwing a discreet glance in Misty's direction.

Ash nodded and gave a genuine smile at his words before the boys and Pikachu lapsed into another comfortable silence.

It wasn't until ten minutes into their hike did Pikachu squeal out in delight.

"Pikachu!" it exclaimed, jumping and pointing at the lights of the nearby city.

"Finally, we made it," Misty exasperated, but smiled nonetheless.

"Well, last one down is a rotten egg!" laughed Brock as he took off down the hill side, leaving his two friends and Pikachu left to laugh after him.

"And here I thought _you_ were the immature one," Misty taunted playfully, before starting down the hill, but not before Ash grabbed her hand.

Misty turned, her breath caught in her throat at his touch, and felt that familiar burning sensation deep within the pit of her heart. He had a confident grin on his face as he stared at her and Misty, at that point, felt as if he could see right through her.

"Oh come on Mist, I'm not _that_ immature, am I?" he breathed, taking a step closer and feeling his heart starting to pound with the closeness they now shared.

Misty's voice got caught in her throat, but before she could say or do anything, Ash was pulling her down the hill, his hand still firmly around hers as he laughed playfully the whole way down. Misty, breaking out of her stupor, laughed along with him as Pikachu too joined in on the fun.

Reaching the bottom, the two teens released one another (much to the hidden disappointment of both) and caught their breath before entering the city in search of Brock.

After several minutes of searching, they found him hovering around a store that seemed to be blocked off to any and all people, except for the police officers and Growlithe that surveyed the scene.

They walked up to him and looked at their surroundings.

"What's going on Brock?" asked Ash, as he came up next to his friend.

"I don't know, I only just got here. I think…ohhh, A-Ash, look who it is…" Brock trailed off, hearts in his eyes as he clasped his hands together.

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu followed Brock's love-struck gaze and saw Officer Jenny attempting to keep the public back from the store and, without warning, watched as he easily hopped over the yellow caution tape, and ran towards her.

"Brock, wait up!" called Misty, chasing after him, Ash and Pikachu hot on her trail.

"Pika!"

"Oh, Officer Jenny! If there's anything you need, anything at all, I'm right here! I will be your loyal servant and stop at nothing to help you in your quest to thwart evil! I will--"

"All right, spread'em!" Jenny yelled, pushing the love-struck boy forcefully against the nearest wall and searching his pockets.

"P-Please, Officer Jenny. He's a friend of ours and doesn't quite know--"

"You two! Get against the wall, hands up!" she barked once more, cutting Misty off in mid-sentence.

Ash and Misty, scared, did as they were told as Pikachu hopped down, cocking its head in confusion.

"But-But, we haven't done anything wrong!" protested Ash, his hands firmly against the wall in front of him.

"That's what they all say!" Jenny remarked, a devious glint in her eyes, "The thief always returns to the scene of the crime!"

"B-But!"

"Ash, just shut up and let this lovely lady do her job. We wouldn't want to be a hindrance to her investigation," commented a dazed looking Brock.

"Brock, we haven't done anything!" argued Misty hotly.

"What's going on out here Officer Jenny?"

Turning around, an older man with hair as white as snow and a cane in his right hand walked up to the group of teens.

"Sir, we believe these three to be the crooks that stole from your store!" Jenny reported, saluting the older man.

"Wait a second! We haven't stolen anything from anyone. You didn't even give us a chance to defend ourselves properly," countered a very irritated Misty.

"Hmm…and can you prove that you had nothing to do with the robbery young lady?" asked the man, placing a hand under his chin.

Nodding, Misty pulled out a small box from the confines of her bag and took out what appeared to be the Cerulean City gym badge. Brock, breaking out of his girl-mode for the sake of his friends, followed her lead and pulled out his native city's badge while Ash fiddled with his pokedex.

"See? Me and Brock are the gym leaders of the gyms in Pewter and Cerulean. Ash is a pokemon trainer entering the Johto league. Do you believe us now?" she asked, showing the officer and the old man her badge.

The old man sighed sadly and nodded, "I apologize for the misunderstanding, but you see, someone's broken into my store and we're trying desperately to find the thieves before Christmas."

"I see," nodded Ash, pocketing his pokedex, "What did they steal?"

"Well--"

"Hey Gramps, did they find the thieves yet?"

The trio of teens turned to the right to find a young man, about their age, with dark brown, spiky hair, emerald green eyes, and pierced ears. He wore a pair of baggy black jeans, a white fitted t-shirt, and a pair of ratty old sneakers. He stared accusingly at the trio, before seeing Misty for the first time and lightened his gaze a bit.

"No, I'm afraid not. Just a case of mistaken identity," the older man explained, smiling warmly at the teens, "Once again, I hope you'll accept my apologies."

"It was no problem," smiled Misty, her eyes reverting to the store behind them, "But, if you don't mind me asking, what happened here?"

"I'll take it from here, Gramps," smiled the young man as he walked in Misty's direction, "I'm sure you still have paperwork you need to file, right?"

The older man sighed and nodded, while wiping his brow with his hand, "Too true. Well, I'll leave you to explain the situation to these young folks."

He smiled, bowed, and turned to walk back into the store while leaving the three trainers and the young man to remain outside.

The young man smiled sweetly in Misty's direction and wasted no time in grabbing her hand and planting a soft kiss on top, causing Misty to flush a slight shade of pink and Ash to grunt angrily at the stranger.

"The name's Mark by the way," he breathed, "And what might your name be, beautiful?"

Misty smiled goofily at him and giggled before responding, "My name's Misty. It's nice to meet you Mark."

"Misty, what a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he marveled suavely, "Maybe, after this mess is over with, I could show you around town, maybe take you out to dinner or something?"

Before Misty had the chance to answer, however, Ash intervened by walking up next to her and clearing his throat rather loudly.

"Sorry, but she's busy," he retorted angrily.

Mark raised an eye and straightened up a bit to face Ash properly. His gaze was intense, yet Ash did not flinch nor did he look away. He only continued to gaze back at the young man whom they had just met, arms folded in front of him.

"Is he your boyfriend Misty?" asked Mark, his gaze still fixed on Ash's now shocked one.

"W-W-What?! No-No, of course not!" she stuttered, trying to hide the blush from her cheeks, "Ash is just a friend!"

Mark, still staring heatedly at Ash, only smirked, "Well, people who are 'just friends' typically don't act the way he did just now. You may want to discuss this with him later. But, in the meantime, may I escort you inside?"

"Um…well, I guess," she tried smiling, but saw the angry gaze Ash was throwing the newcomer, and quickly followed Mark into the building, leaving Ash, Brock, and Pikachu to follow behind.

"Pikapi?" it asked, sensing the anger and frustration with its trainer.

"I'm fine," Ash responded shortly, arms folded and eyes shooting daggers at Mark's turned head.

Brock only smiled and shook his head, careful not to say anything that would further anger his young friend.

As Mark led them into the store, the trio looked around in wonder at how neatly kept everything was, especially after it had been robbed no less.

"So, what exactly got stolen?" asked Brock, looking around to see if anything was amiss.

"I'll show you," replied Mark, leading them down a staircase that seemed to lead to the basement and storage room of the store, "Earlier this morning, the alarms in the store sounded and alerted the police that we had some unwanted guests. But once they got here, the thieves had already taken off."

It was at this point that Mark's confident and strong front faded slightly, only to be replaced with sadness and remorse. He dipped his head a bit and brought a hand to comb through his short brown hair, sighing while doing so.

Misty, suddenly feeling sorry for the young man, placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently, urging him to continue.

"What did they take?"

He smiled back genuinely at her, and then reverted his gaze to the empty space in front of him where several empty shelves stood.

"Every year my grandfather and I go out and catch low level pokemon and, on Christmas, we give them away to those who can't go on journeys of their own due to medical reasons or other physical or mental disabilities," he explained, walking over to the empty shelves, "We've been doing this for over ten years now and have seen a marked difference in the happiness of the children in town. It's even increased the longevity of some of the kids that were terminally ill."

Mark hung his head low as he leaned weakly against the wooden shelves. Without warning, he slammed his fist into the shelf, causing an explosion of dust and the wood to creak eerily.

"Damn it!" he cursed, before regaining his composure, "I-I guess, that won't happen this year."

"So, they stole the pokemon you were planning on giving out," mused Brock.

"Pikachu…" Pikachu stated sadly, dropping its ears.

"Hmm…" sounded Ash, as he folded his arms and took in his surroundings. The place was full of items used for the store, boxes filled with additional products, and racks upon racks of other bottles and cans stacked haphazardly on top of one another.

"That's terrible!" exclaimed Misty, a worried look glazing her features.

"Yeah, you're telling me," sighed Mark, as he leaned his back against the wall tiredly, "And, to top it off, the police have no leads. They're checking the cameras now, but all three were wearing masks and costumes."

Misty sighed sadly, wanting so much to help but unsure of what they could do. She folded her arms before marching up to Ash and whispering discreetly to him, "Do you think we could stay and give them a hand? I mean, like Brock said, there's no gym here so there's not really a need to hurry, right?"

Ash raised a brow and gave her a ghost of a smile. He was about to respond, but Misty beat him to it.

"Please Ash…" she begged, staring into his eyes and looking for some sort of sympathy, regardless of how much Ash may have loathed the young man, "Please, can we stay? Do this for me? Please…"

Ash smiled whole heartedly and nodded his head quietly, which resulted in a laugh and a strong hug on Misty's part. Surprised, Ash's heart rate jumped as he realized that she was hugging him, but hugged her back nonetheless, relishing in the warmth her body naturally emanated.

Pulling away, Misty smiled up at him, "Thank you Ash."

He nodded at her and the pair released. Misty marched up to a very confused looking Mark and told him of their plans to help in their search. Smiling broadly, he thanked the trio for their generous offer and got to work explaining the details of what the police had found.

"Over here!" Mark called, ushering all three over to a corner of the room, "See, these were found right after it happened. We keep some of the pokemon food stored here and that, conveniently, has gone missing too. But luckily, they left us this."

Pointing to a corner of the floor revealed a mess of white paint splattered messily on the concrete. In the midst of the paint, however, a very distinct looking paw print had been made. It consisted of three oval shaped circles; much like a cat paw print…

"Hey Brock, does this look like…" Ash trailed off, speaking for the first time in a while, as he regarded his friend.

"Hmm…" Brock kneeled down to get a closer look, examining the print at all angles.

"What? What is it?" asked Mark.

"You don't think it was…" started Misty, realizing that the print could have come from a certain cat-type pokemon they all knew and ran into on a regular basis.

"Only one way to find out," said Ash, "Pikachu, can you take a sniff around here and let me know if anything smells familiar?"

"Pi!" it nodded and began its task of sniffing the said area. After a few minutes, Pikachu's ears twitched and its eyes lit up in recognition, "Pika, pikachu!"

Pikachu then resorted to folding its ears back and licking the top of its paws, much like a cat would, to try to better explain what exactly it had smelt.

"Pi-ka," it imitated.

"Just as I thought," sighed Ash, "Looks like Team Rocket's at it again."

"Oh, when will those three ever learn!" huffed Misty, shaking her head.

"So, you think Team Rocket's behind this?" asked Mark.

"We _know_ Team Rocket's behind it," corrected Ash, though the slight attitude in his tone was not lost on Misty.

"That's great! I'll go tell my grandfather and Officer Jenny," with that said, Mark sped up the steps and out of sight, leaving the three trainers plus Pikachu to ponder the situation.

"This is pretty low, even for those three," commented Brock, once Mark was out of sight.

"Yeah, well, it _is_ Team Rocket after all we're talking about here. They aren't exactly model citizens," noted Ash with a bit of sarcasm.

Brock looked at his friend curiously before voicing his opinion, "Hey man, you okay?"

"I'm fine, I wish you would all stop asking me that!" he snapped.

"Pikapi…" muttered Pikachu, lowering its ears at the harsh tone in its master's voice.

"Will you stop acting like a jerk for once?!" Misty snapped in Brock's stead.

Ash turned on Misty, eyes ablaze and ready for the fight that had ensued.

"_I'm _acting like a jerk?!" he asked incredulously, "Who was the one who nearly jumped into my arms a minute ago because of my decision to stay and help?!"

"Oh Ash! Grow up, will you?!" she countered, for lack of something better to say in response to his verbal attack.

"Well, excuse me for not being a mature gentleman, princess! Maybe you should go and have your little date with Mark! He seems very taken with you anyway!" Ash shot back, though it hurt him to do so.

"Fine! Maybe I will!"

"See if I care!"

Feeling the sting of fresh, hot tears invading her eyes, Misty bolted up the stairs before she could let Ash see her crying. If it was one thing Misty was so adamant about, it was her pride. No…no matter what happened, she would never let Ash see her weaknesses, no matter how hurtful his words may have been.

Ash, on the other hand, slumped down on the last step of the staircase; his head in his hands and feeling the fight leave his body instantaneously. Groaning lightly to himself in self-frustration, he tightened his grip on his head.

Brock was about to comment when, suddenly, Ash popped his head back up and slammed his fist into the nearby wall. Jumping back out of shock, Brock regained his composure and slowly approached his younger friend.

"Pika?" it asked, climbing onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzling his cheek in a comforting manner.

Ash said nothing but nodded his head and sighed deeply, "I really messed up, didn't I?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say you scored major points with her, if that's what you're asking," commented Brock truthfully before sitting himself down next to him, "Look Ash, if you're trying to get Misty to notice you, this isn't the way to go about it, especially with Christmas being tomorrow. Now, I know Mark seems like a bit of a threat to you, maybe even competition, but we all know Misty and how she is. She has this uncanny ability to want to get you jealous so that you'll notice her more, which would signify that you care."

"But I _do_ care about her Brock."

"Yeah, I know you do pal. Just give her some time on her own, she'll cool down," smiled Brock as he placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder before departing the basement.

Ash, who had been mentally exhausted by this point, slumped even further into his seat and stared at the wall in front of him. Thinking of his current predicament and recent argument with Misty, caused an involuntary sigh to escape his lips, to which Pikachu responded almost immediately.

"Pikapi, pikachu?" it asked, concern for its trainer obvious.

Ash looked to the pokemon on his shoulder and gave it a light, reassuring smile before responding, "Yeah buddy, I'm okay…I think. I'm sorry I blew up earlier."

"Chu!" smiled the pokemon, patting Ash on the head and nuzzling his cheek.

"There's just something about another male being in Misty's life that I find hard to tolerate, you know?" he paused, while receiving a nod from Pikachu before continuing, "I guess I'm just being stubborn and overprotective, but I--"

"Ahhh!"

Upon hearing the piercing scream, Ash whipped his head around towards the staircase, "What the…_Misty_..."

Ash bolted up the stairs, through the store, and out to the front where the scream had originated.

There, in front of him, were Brock and Misty trapped in a steel cage of some sort that seemed to be attached to a cable, which was then attached to a rocket with the letter 'R' painted on the front in red paint.

"Pi pikachu!"

"Misty! Brock!"

"What the hell's going on out here?!"

Ash turned his head to be met with Mark and his grandfather rushing out of the store in a panic. They looked to Ash, then to Brock and Misty, and then to the large rocket and tried to piece together exactly what was going on.

Just then, however, simultaneous laughing could be heard from within the confines of the rocket. A large platform jutted out from the front of the rocket to reveal two large Christmas trees and a smaller one that seemed to have…a tail?

"It's Christmas time, so prepare for trouble!"

"We have pokemon on our Christmas list, so make it double!"

Three groans and an exasperated 'pika' could be heard coming from Brock, Misty, Ash, and Pikachu as the trio, known as Team Rocket, made their 'grand' entrance, as was the norm.

Ignoring the twerp's obvious disregard for 'the motto,' Jessie, James, and Meowth continued their act, albeit louder.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobb!" the blue pokemon appeared out of Jessie's arsenal and held a hand up to its head instinctively.

"Team Rocket!" Ash bellowed, though he wasn't all that surprised, "Come back to steal more, huh?"

"Why of course!" answered Jessie haughtily, "We wouldn't dare the leave the job unfinished, especially after all of those delicious pokemon we nabbed this morning!"

"So, it _was_ you!" shouted Mark, who now had his fists clenched together.

"You crooks stole from my store!" yelled Mark's grandfather, as he waved his cane harmlessly at them.

"And quite effortlessly might I add!" taunted James, which only caused Mark to seethe in anger, "We thought we'd come back to add to our little winning streak!"

"Yeah, and when we're done wit dat, we'll make sure da twerp's pokemon belong to us too!" exclaimed Meowth jovially.

Ash clenched his fists together in anger at the trio and let a grimace escape his mouth. He really did not feel like dealing with them today. He was already in a bad enough mood as it was; he didn't need these three losers making things worse.

"Pikachu, give'em your best thund--"

"Ah, ah, ah!" taunted Jessie, sticking her finger out at him, "I wouldn't do that if I were you twerp!"

"Yeah, if you send us flying, then your little friends are comin' along for the ride as well!" laughed Meowth, seeing how Ash's expression had drastically changed.

Ash growled at them while abruptly halting Pikachu's attack, with Team Rocket's laughter echoing in the background.

They had him stuck.

He couldn't just attack, as he normally would, for fear of Misty and Brock's safety. But, at the same time, he couldn't just stand there as his two best friends were being held captive by this incompetent trio.

What else could he do?

It was then that Ash's gaze shifted to that of his two friends. Brock was giving him a determined look, almost as if saying 'we trust you.' It brought some comfort to Ash knowing that Brock trusted his judgment and knew that, in the end, everything would turn out alright.

Misty, on the other hand, simply gazed back at him, a comforting, yet light smile dominating her lips. It was as if she were trying to make amends from their earlier dispute through her gaze and smile alone.

Ash smiled back confidently and nodded to her, a clear understanding coming between the two friends.

"Police! Stop right there!"

Ash, Mark, Mark's grandfather, and Pikachu whipped their heads in the direction of the voice and saw Officer Jenny speeding up the street in her motorcycle, her sirens and lights blaring in the distance.

"Seems like we've worn out our welcome," hissed Jessie, silently cursing their misfortune.

"Time to go?" asked James timidly as Jenny pulled up in front of the store.

"What are we supposed ta do with da two other twerps?" asked Meowth frantically, looking down at the suspended cage with which Brock and Misty were still occupying.

"We take them with us!" ordered Jessie, "We'll use them as bait to get the twerp's Pikachu and other pokemon!"

"Ooooh! Good idea Jess!" squealed James giddily.

"Ya hear dat kid?" smiled Meowth, looking down at Ash, "Ya ever want ta see your squinty eyed friend and girlfriend eva again you'll meet us here tomorrow and make a trade! Your pokemon for your friends!"

"Halt! You're under arrest for--"

But before Jenny could finish, a loud explosion sounded and a plume of smoke billowed where Team Rocket's rocket and the cage had once been.

Ash coughed and tried to blink the smoke out of his eyes as he could clearly hear Pikachu and the other's doing the same. After the smoke had settled and Ash could once again see, he swirled his head around looking for the rocket that had once been in front of him.

Feeling rage boil within him once more, he kneeled down and slammed his fist into the ground.

"Damn! They got away…" he muttered, as Pikachu hopped on his shoulder.

"Chu…"

Ash, shaking his head in frustration, stood and faced the setting sun.

"Come on Pikachu, we got to get moving and find Misty and Brock before the sun goes down," he said, heading off in the direction of the road.

"Where do you think you're going?" demanded Officer Jenny, holding a hand out to stop him.

"I'm going to find my friends before tomorrow," answered Ash calmly, "And, from the looks of it, I don't have much sunlight left. Please Jenny, stay here at the store in case Team Rocket decide to show up again."

Jenny folded her arms in front of her and looked at the young man questioningly. Of all the emotions that swelled within her, pity was amongst them. She felt sorry for this man; sorry that his friends had been kidnapped, and sorry that he had been dragged into this whole mess by pure accident, especially with Christmas, a holiday that was supposed to be joyful and happy, looming in the near future.

She nodded her consent and smiled encouragingly at him.

"Fine, but good luck and be careful," she warned, moving out of his way.

"Thanks Jenny, but we've dealt with Team Rocket before and they're nothing we can't handle, right pal?" smiled Ash as he turned to Pikachu.

"Pi!" it answered brightly.

Ash nodded his head once at his long time friend, then proceeded to leave, but was stopped, once again, but this time by Mark.

"I'm going with you," he had said in a serious tone.

Ash slitted his eyes at the young man, the one whom had caused all of his unnecessary tension with Misty in the first place, and shook his head.

"No way, I'm going al--"

"You aren't the only one who has a reason to go," stated Mark, taking a few steps towards Ash, "I _need_ to rescue those pokemon before tomorrow and, since we know Team Rocket has them, there's no way you're going without me…like it or not."

Ash stared hard at Mark, his gaze unwavering and cold. As Brock had said earlier, he was a threat, plain and simple. But Ash knew, above all else, that based on the look of determination in Mark's eyes, his main objective was to get the pokemon back.

Ash had to admire that kind of raw determination, for it was the same kind that he oftentimes struggled with in his past when dealing with dangerous situations.

"Fine," Ash finally responded, nodding his head, though not yet giving Mark the pleasure of smiling, "But we need to go now. We're running out of time."

Mark cracked a small smile and nodded his head, promising his grandfather that the pokemon would be returned by morning and wishing them all a farewell.

Ash started off down the road with Pikachu, without a second look back to see if Mark was following. Though he could clearly hear his footsteps just behind him, Ash didn't dare look back. The fact that he _knew_ he was there was enough for Ash.

"How do you know where to look?" Mark suddenly asked after a long bout of silence.

Ash stopped in his tracks to ponder what he had asked. If truth be told, he actually had no idea where to find Team Rocket, he was just going on instinct and previous experience. He was going on the hunch that they would accidentally show up sooner or later or that they messed up in their escape somehow, or maybe they dropped some kind of clue as to—

"Pikapi!"

"Huh?"

Pikachu had bounded off of Ash's shoulder and was frantically pointing at what seemed to be a trail of…tree branches?

"What's this?" he muttered to himself, kneeling and picking up one of the bristly, soft branches.

Mark, who had heard Pikachu call out, came up next to them and peered down at the trail in front of them. His face broke out into a broad grin as he realized what this meant.

"This is great!" Mark exclaimed, catching Ash and Pikachu off guard.

"What are you--"

"Ash, these branches…don't you remember what Team Rocket were wearing?" he explained, watching as Ash's facial expression changed to that of realization.

"Their costumes…of course!" he sighed, scolding himself for not picking up on it sooner, "Let's go, we can't be far off."

Another fifteen minutes rolled by with no conversing between the two boys. Ash, for his part, still was not comfortable with Mark's presence and how he had so openly flirted with Misty earlier that day. For whatever reason, he could not get the feeling of loathing out of his mind that this man served a threat to his and Misty's relationship. Well, non-existent relationship, he thought.

Perhaps he was being too harsh though…

After all, Mark hadn't even known that Ash had any sort of feelings for her, let alone was in love with her. So maybe it wasn't his fault that he had come on to Misty too strongly for his liking. To Mark, Misty was probably just another single woman that he had wanted to try and hook up with, much to Ash's dismay of course.

Mark trailed Ash some few feet away, trying to give the pensive young man some space. He knew from the beginning of this whole ordeal that Ash did not like him, especially when he had tried to come on to Misty. From what he could surmise, the two weren't dating, yet they seemed to have an inexplicable bond that most best friends simply did not have.

And yet…

Mark stared at the back of Ash's head and pondered the possibilities for Ash's rather…blunt behavior. He knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the young man must have had feelings for Misty, otherwise, why would he have reacted the way he did? Sure Ash was an average guy, and guys were normally protective of their female friends, but something that Mark had said had set him on edge and, currently, it was the main reason for why he was completely ignoring him.

Mark sighed and folded his hands behind his head to look up at the orange sky. The forest that they had entered a few minutes ago seemed to go on forever and he wondered how deep Team Rocket had actually gone until they had set up camp for the night.

Thinking of camp…

The sun seemed to lower with each step they took and he knew that, soon, they would need to set up camp. Mark's only problem was actually voicing his opinion to Ash, who hadn't spoken a word to him since they had found the trail.

And so, swallowing his pride and clearing his throat, Mark continued, "Hey Ash, it's getting late. I think we should start thinking of setting up camp for the night."

To this, Ash stopped abruptly in his tracks and shook his head without even giving Mark the common courtesy of turning around.

"No, we need to keep moving," he said, though his tone was emotionless, "We're close, I know we are."

"But you can't possibly know that!" argued Mark and, it was at this bold statement, that had caused Ash to turn around. But Mark, as stubborn as he was, continued, "The sun's going down and soon you won't be able to see your hand in front of your own face!"

"I don't care," he replied dangerously, "We need to find them."

Mark took a few brave steps forward, trying to reason with him and find some sort of middle ground.

"But the only lead we have to go on is the trail," Mark tried again, "If we keep going, and the sun goes down, we're bound to get lost, then we'll never rescue them in time!"

"I know what I'm doing, so just back off!" barked Ash, as he approached Mark.

Mark held his ground, a fierce determination fueling his actions and emotions.

"No, you don't! You can't even begin to comprehend what would happen if we got lost!" Mark yelled, "I will not risk letting all of those kids down tomorrow because of your damn stubbornness and inability to see the bigger picture!"

"Pika," Pikachu had whimpered, hopping off of Ash's shoulder as it did not like where this was going.

"What the hell do you know?! You don't even know me!" Ash argued back, as he took yet another step closer to Mark.

Mark sneered at him and lowered his voice a bit, if only to not draw attention to themselves.

"No, and a part of me is glad of that fact!" he retorted and before Mark had time to react, Ash's fist had made contact with his left cheek.

"Pikapi!"

The boys were now brawling on the ground, throwing punches at each other's face and trying to best the other. Pikachu was whimpering on the sidelines and squeaking at them to stop their meaningless fight. Both boys ignored its pleas and, as a result, a very irate Pikachu send a thunderbolt attack hurtling their way with no remorse for its justified actions.

After the attack had subsided, Pikachu perched itself atop a tree branch for fear that its master would take out his unnecessary rage on it. It watched as the two boys were sprawled out haphazardly on the ground, struggling to get up.

Ash was the first to recover, as he was used to Pikachu's overused attacks on his own body, and stood to brush himself off, a scowl still imprinted on his face. He wiped at a fresh cut on his cheek and winced at the sight of his own blood covering the palm of his hand.

His gaze then shifted to Mark who, by this time, was still struggling to stand up.

Mark's vision was a little blurry as he strained to stand on his own two feet. The power behind the thunderbolt attack had definitely caught him off guard and he had to almost check his pulse to make sure he was still alive and breathing.

Finally, standing and brushing himself off, he noted the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, a result of the punch Ash had graciously bestowed upon him just a second ago. Wincing at the vile, metallic taste of it, he spit it off to the side to relieve himself temporarily of the disgusting red liquid.

"I'm not going to do this with you," Mark finally said after a long bout of silence and both boys locked in equally penetrating glares, "If you want to go off and get yourself lost, then fine, see if I care."

Ash's expression changed from fierce to confused, but still, he kept his mouth shut, sensing that Mark was not yet finished.

"But I think…someone will be awfully disappointed when she discovers that you're missing and on Christmas, no less," he reasoned, "Now, make your decision. You can go and try and find your friends now, or you can wait it out until tomorrow morning where the trail will be visible and we'll be sure of where we're going."

From the look on Mark's face, it had seemed like his words had gone straight through Ash, however, when a look of contemplation crossed his face, he became hopeful.

"I'm not like this…" Ash had whispered, though Mark strained to hear him, "This isn't me at all…"

Ash plopped himself heavily on a nearby log and held his head in his hands.

From his body language, Mark wasn't sure if it was safe to approach, but he did so anyway, albeit slowly. As he neared the distraught trainer, he could hear him sniffling lightly and heard the almost inaudible sound of tear drops falling to the ground.

Mark sat next to him and remained silent. He wasn't quite sure what to say, but knew what Ash had meant. Though he had only met the man this afternoon, Mark could tell how out of character he probably was and how foolish he must have felt.

Mark, after all, was a very good judge of character and knew that Ash was not normally the type to start a fight with a seemingly complete stranger.

"Ash…" Mark had started, but Ash beat him to it.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, his gaze still on the ground and his head in his heads, "I'm-I'm sorry…I don't know what came over me."

Mark smiled tiredly and nodded, "Hey, I guess I can't say I didn't deserve it, right? I did throw you kind of a low blow. _I_ might have hit me if I were you too."

Ash let a half-hearted laugh escape his lips.

"It still doesn't excuse my behavior though," Ash sighed, looking up for the first time.

Mark smiled, "True, but I only figured the behavior was due, more or less, because of Misty."

At the sound of her name, Ash's lips turned into a frown and then a sigh, "Yeah…"

"Well, if that's the case, I probably should be apologizing to _you_," he said vaguely, to which Ash responded with a confused stare, "Well, I mean, I didn't mean to make you feel like I was intruding in your territory. I didn't mean to step on your toes…I'm sorry."

Ash shook his head and smiled good-naturedly, "No…it's okay, I just get…a little protective of her, you know?"

Mark smiled at his honest statement, "I understand," he nodded looking off into the horizon, "It's getting late, we should get to sleep if we want to start out early tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Ash, nodding as he sat on the ground and leaned up against the nearest log to try and get comfortable.

"We'll set off first thing and hopefully we'll be able to find Misty, Brock, and the stolen pokemon," remarked Mark, as he too began to comfortable on the very uncomfortable ground.

Ash nodded once more and looked up to the branch that Pikachu was currently occupying. Pikachu was smiling at its trainer and nodded its head in approval before bounding down the tree and into Ash's open arms.

"Sorry I was acting like a jerk buddy," apologized Ash quietly, "You know how I get with Misty though."

"Pikachu," nodded Pikachu, accepting Ash's apology and patting him lightly on the head as a means of comfort.

"You always seem to know how to get through to me," he joked, lying down and looking up into the night sky.

The stars glistened brilliantly as the crisp winter air nipped at Ash's nose. It was quite chilly out that particular night and he only hoped that Misty and Brock had a nice warm place to stay, regardless of their situation.

***

Misty sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that night. She anxiously fidgeted in her position against the cold, metal bars of the cage that her and Brock were currently occupying trying desperately to fall asleep, but finding it impossible.

She wanted to get out of the stupid cage but, for the life of her, she could not figure out a way how. It had seemed that, for the time being at least, Team Rocket had them beat.

Standing and abandoning all hopes of sleep, she folded her arms in front of her and stared out the window and into the lit up winter sky. The crescent moon and stars twinkled in the distance, almost as a form of comfort to her distraught mindset.

And she couldn't help but force a small smile onto her lips thinking that maybe Ash was staring at the same star filled sky she was.

"You okay?"

Misty turned her head to be met with Brock's kind and concerned eyes. She smiled back at him, if only to reassure him that everything was okay. But Brock, being who he was, simply did not accept that.

He stood next to her to gaze up at the sky until he broke the silence several minutes later.

"What's on your mind?" he asked suddenly, his gaze still focused on the sky.

Misty could almost sense the reasoning behind Brock's simple question and felt that, no matter what, he would get it out of her eventually.

So, with a light shrug, she turned to face him.

"Ash…" she whispered in response, to which Brock gave her an all-knowing look urging her to continue, "I'm just worried about him and what he's going to do about our situation tomorrow."

Brock chuckled quietly, making sure not to wake Team Rocket as they were asleep in the next room of the cabin they were currently staying in, "You know Ash better than I do. You actually think he's going to wait until tomorrow?"

Misty gave him a questioning look for a second, but it was soon replaced with a look of understanding and then a smile.

"He's on his way here as we speak, isn't he?" she smiled, knowing how Ash's loyalty to his friends could oftentimes outweigh his patience and common sense, "But how would he know where to find us?"

Once again, Brock supplied an answer, "I think he'll be okay. Besides, Mark and Pikachu are probably with him."

At this, Misty let out a small groan and shook her head lightly.

"Perfect, at this rate they'll probably end up killing each other," she noted sarcastically.

"I think they'll learn to work together," he started, pausing for a moment before continuing, "I mean, after all, they both have something they want back."

Misty nodded, knowing what Brock meant, but he continued anyway, if only so she could verbally hear his words.

"Mark needs the pokemon and Ash…well, he needs you," he finished, placing a hand on her shoulder and resuming his seat trying, once again, to fall asleep.

Misty let a smile come to the corners of her lips and nodded at him, without a single protest. In a way, she knew what Brock meant when he had said that Ash _needed _her.

Because, in her own strange way, she needed him too.

With that thought at the forefront of her mind, Misty smiled at the crescent moon and closed her eyes, trying to envision Ash's face and his all too perfect features. Though they had only been separated several hours, she missed him terribly and wished for nothing more than to have him back at her side, as he always would be.

Sighing somewhat contentedly to herself, Misty reopened her eyes and sat herself against the metal bars, facing towards the window and the night sky. She folded her arms in front of her and tried, once more, to fall asleep. However, this time around, thoughts of Ash swirled about in her mind and lulled her into a successful bout of sleep.

The next morning, Misty's eyes fluttered open and she examined her surroundings in a panic, that is, until she remembered what had happened the day before. How could she have forgotten?

She stood, stretching out her sore muscles and self-massaging her tight neck while trying to guess the time. Looking out of the window, she saw the sun gleaming brightly at her and watched as the trees swayed lightly in the breeze, their golden leaves falling delicately to the ground below.

Based on the positioning of the sun, she guessed it was probably around 9 o'clock or so, but she couldn't be sure. All she could be sure of was that she and Brock were still being held captive and that Ash and Mark still had not made an appearance, which only caused her to worry further.

She wished he was safe and that he hadn't let his resentment towards Mark alter his better judgment. She knew Ash better than anyone and knew that his friends and family would always come first. But would he overlook their differences and work together to find them?

Misty contemplated this for only a second before deciding that yes, Ash would set aside his jealousy towards Mark, if only because of the bigger picture. She could only imagine the conversations that must have gone on between the two and wondered if they had made up or, at the very least, talked things through.

Ash meant a great deal to Misty, more so than he probably cared to realize, and she wanted nothing more than to know that he was okay and not in harm's way. But, despite her worries, she knew that Ash was accident prone, often acted before he thought, and was stubborn as all hell. Not a very good combination when trying to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

She smiled to herself, unable to imagine how uneventful her life would have been had she not met Ash.

"Morning," came a stifled greeting from behind.

Misty turned to be met with Brock, who had just woken up, and was currently stretching his arms out and yawning quietly.

"I'd say it was a 'good' morning if we weren't stuck in this damn cage," sighed Misty, reverting her attention back to the window and the environment outside.

"Well, I guess you've got me there," smiled Brock, standing and walking to her side, "Merry Christmas Mist."

She gave a half-hearted laugh and shook her head at him, "I'm not sure what's so 'merry' about it, but same to you too."

With that said, the two friends engulfed each other in a much needed hug, feeding off of each other's warmth and wanting nothing more than for this endless headache to end.

Just as the two were pulling away, a light 'tap tap tap' could be heard from outside of the window Misty had just been looking out of moments ago. Turning, the pair gasped as they saw their savior and ever present best friend Ash, waving at them from the outside. Misty was the first to react and rushed over to the window, stretching her arm through the bars of the cage and touching the cool glass of the window, the only thing separating her from the man she secretly loved.

Her palm pressed firmly against the window, Misty watched as Ash lifted his own hand to 'meet' with hers as he stared into her eyes, the intensity of his gaze taking her breath away.

Misty smiled at him, relieved that he was okay and wondering how on Earth he had found them. However, she did not get to ponder for long when his next actions completely took her by surprise.

Ash slowly moved his hand to his face and lightly kissed his fingertips, letting them linger for a while before placing his hand back on the window, in front of a surprised Misty.

He followed his actions with a hopeful look and a tiny smile, which only caused Misty's already pounding heart to beat even faster.

It was such a small gesture and yet, so meaningful to Misty. Had the glass not been separating them, would he have kissed her like that? Would he have the same look of longing and devotion in his eyes that he did now?

Misty was unsure of all of this, but regardless, felt herself falling harder and faster for the man that was standing on the other side of the wall.

Ash gazed back at Misty, his hand still firmly pressed up against the cold glass window. He did not even know what had possessed him to do what he had done, but was surprised when Misty was mimicking his previous actions with movements of her own. She tenderly kissed her own fingertips and pressed her hand against his, giving him a light smile and an intense, confident look.

Brock smiled admiringly at his two best friends, but the 'moment' was broken when the sound of a door swinging open on the far side of the room caused Misty to jump in surprise and Ash to duck down below the window's sill.

Jessie charged into the room, completely oblivious to what had gone on moments ago, and smiled all too sweetly at Misty and Brock as James and Meowth followed her into the room, yawning and rubbing the sleep from their eyes.

"Today's the day we capture Pikachu!" she declared boldly, pumping her fist into the air.

"Heard that one before…" Misty muttered dryly, though she made sure Jessie did not hear.

"But why couldn't we wait until a more reasonable time, like noon?" whined James, which only resulted in a low growl from Jessie, causing the male Team Rocket member to immediately clam up.

"Cheer up Jimmy! It's Christmas and this'll be the best one yet!" exclaimed Meowth as he pranced to a corner of the room and sifted through several bag full of pokeballs.

Misty gasped at the realization and gently nudged Brock, her eyes focused on the bag.

Brock, catching on, nodded discreetly at her. Those were the stolen pokemon all right, but the only problem was actually getting them back. What the hell were taking Ash and Mark so long…

As if an answer to Brock's thoughts, an explosion from the corner of the room sent Jessie, James, and Meowth jumping in surprise and coughing up the smoke and debris that were quickly developing.

As the smoke cleared, both Ash and Mark stood, side by side, with both Pikachu and Totodile at the forefront, having just finished their attacks on the wall.

"It's the twerp…" growled Jessie, after recovering from her initial shock. She pulled a pokeball from off of her belt, preparing to throw it into battle.

"Let them go!" demanded Ash, angrily.

"And release the pokemon you stole!" added Mark, clenching his fists together.

"Pika!" Pikachu followed up, charging up for yet another attack.

"Forget it! We stole those pokemon fair and square and we won't give back your twerpy friends unless we get Pikachu and the rest of your pokemon first!" ordered Jessie.

"I don't think so!" argued Ash, looking down towards Pikachu and Totodile, "Okay you two, you know what to do."

"Pi/Toto!" both pokemon responded, nodding confidently and readying their attacks.

"Not so fast!" exclaimed James, as both he and Jessie threw their pokeballs into the fray, "Weezing, smokescreen!"

"Pika/Dile!" coughed the surprised pokemon, closing their eyes simultaneously to alleviate themselves of the smoke.

Ash and Mark had also covered their eyes to filter the smoke and now, Ash stood wondering where the next attack would come from. He had clearly seen Jessie release her Arbok, but to its whereabouts, he was unsure.

"Poison sting!" came Jessie's voice from somewhere within the room.

"No Pikachu, Totodile! Look out!"

"Sword's dance!"

A swift wind rushed through the small room, causing the smoke to disappear and vision, once again, to be restored. Rubbing his eyes, Ash saw what seemed to be a red blur spinning in the center of the room.

"What the heck is that thing?!" asked James.

"Excellent work Scizor!"

Ash smiled, turning to Mark and nodded once to show his thanks. Mark caught his gaze and nodded as well, happy that the young man that had shown such resentment towards him earlier had finally started to trust him.

Misty and Brock looked at each other for a brief moment, sensing that some sort of bond had been formed between the two trainers in their absence. They smiled in their direction, knowing that their safety was in good hands and that Team Rocket was in deep trouble.

"You ready to send these losers packing, Ash?" asked Mark, a smirk on his face.

"You bet," nodded Ash, turning towards the trio.

"Grr! You won't beat us!" exclaimed Jessie, "Arbok, use poison sting!"

"Weezing, use your smog attack!" James followed up.

"Pikachu, Totodile use thunder and hydro pump!

"Scizor, razor wind!"

Scizor's razor wind cut through Weezing's smog attack like a knife and knocked back the poison type with enough force to cause it to reel back into Arbok, who had been in mid-attack. Both pokemon came hurtling towards their trainers and Meowth, knocked out and in no shape to continue battle.

The trio gasped in utter 'shock' that their pokemon could be defeated so easily and gaped at the site of the Pikachu and Totodile rearing up for their attacks.

"PIKACHU!"

"DILE!"

The water from Totodile's hydro pump carried the electricity of Pikachu's thunder attack, causing a rushing torrent of electricity and water towards the three villains.

They shrieked in horror, though were cut off in their antics as the attack struck, causing an explosion of electricity and water which, quite literally blew the roof off of the tiny cabin and sending Team Rocket hurtling into the distance.

"Oh, I knew we should have waited until noon!" complained James, a pouting expression on his face.

"What difference would that have made?!" yelled a frustrated Jessie.

"Will yous two shut up?!" screamed Meowth, eyes closed and fists clenched at his two stupid partners.

"Well, like I always say…" started James.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again…"

A star twinkled in the distance where the trio had departed and nothing more could be heard from them as their common words of departure were said and they could no longer be seen.

"Scizor, use metal claw on those bars!" commanded Mark, pointing at the cage that Misty and Brock were still occupying.

"Scizor!"

It had sliced through the middle part of the bars with its blades, the metal shattering and freeing its occupants. Misty and Brock rushed over to Ash and Mark, relieved looks on both of their faces.

Before Ash could ask if either of them were okay, however, Misty flung herself into his arms, her own arms latched securely around his torso. She buried her head into his chest and closed her eyes, breathing in his familiar scent and renewing her sense of security.

Ash, a little surprised and taken aback by Misty's forward actions, wrapped his arms tight around her frame, almost as if he were afraid to lose her a second time. He buried his face within her soft locks of hair and breathed in deeply, glad that she was safe and back where she belonged.

Brock and Mark looked at the couple, wide grins on both of their faces. The two had obviously missed each other's presence, regardless that they had only been separated less than a day. It made the reunion all the more sweeter and allowed the two some time to think about how much the other meant to them.

Brock, looking at his watch distractedly, cleared his throat, hating the fact that he was ruining such a tender moment.

"Um guys…it's almost noon. We need to be heading back soon," he reminded them.

Tearing their gazes away from one another, both Ash and Misty nodded.

Misty released Ash and walked over to the corner of the room where the stolen pokemon were sitting and grabbed the bags, dragging them over to the group.

"These are the stolen pokemon?" asked Ash, grabbing a bag and peering inside.

"Yeah," answered Misty, handing the other bag to Mark to carry.

"This is great!" exclaimed Mark, "I can't believe we got them back. Gramps will be so happy."

"There won't be any celebrating until we get back to town," added Brock.

After returning their pokemon, the group, with the stolen pokemon in tow, headed in the direction of the town, talking excitedly of their accomplishment and the joy that the townspeople would soon know due to their success.

Several minutes later, the group had returned to Mark's grandfather's store to be met with quite a startling scene.

Crowds of adults and children of all ages surrounded the store, chatting excitedly amongst themselves. It seemed as if everyone in town had shown up to the Christmas Day pokemon give away and it caused the quartet to smile even more broadly, knowing that their actions would result in the happiness of countless others.

Mark rushed through the dense crowd of people, Ash, Misty and Brock trailing, and found his grandfather and Officer Jenny standing on a raised platform in front of the store, worried looks on both of their faces.

It wasn't until Mark called out to them that their eyes lit up, watching as the young man hauled himself onto the stage holding one of the two bags of stolen pokemon.

"We got them back," he smiled proudly, showing both adults the bag and its contents.

"Oh, thank goodness!" sighed his grandfather, patting Mark on the back and retrieving the bag from him, "Thank you."

Ash, Misty and Brock had also hopped onto the stage to produce the second bag of stolen pokemon to Mark's grandfather.

"Here you go, sir," smiled Ash, handing the bag over.

Mark's grandfather took it appreciatively and smiled at him.

"If it weren't for Ash, we would have never gotten them back," Mark commented, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"No way, we did it together," Ash corrected, taking Mark's hand and giving it a firm shake.

The two boys exchanged confident, yet understanding glances, as if their problems from the day before had never happened. Misty and Brock smiled at the two, proud that they had put their differences aside.

"Ash, would you do the honors?" asked Mark's grandfather, holding out the bag of pokemon to him.

Ash nodded, took the bag, and headed into the crowd to distribute the pokemon accordingly. The children cheered in anticipation, hovering around Ash's figure and patiently awaiting the pokemon that would soon become their lifelong friend.

Misty gazed at him admiringly, but was broken out of her trance when Mark stepped up next to her, "He really cares for you, you know?"

Misty gave him a questioning glance, tilting her head to one side, before he quickly elaborated.

"Is it so hard to believe?" he smiled, and pointed to a cut along his jaw line that Ash had inflicted the day before, "See this?" he waited for Misty to nod before continuing, "Call it a little…reminder on Ash's part on how much you mean to him."

Misty's hand went instinctively to cover her mouth in shock that Ash would do such a thing. Before she had time to voice her opinions, however, Mark cut her off.

"But don't be mad at him…he was only being protective," he added, walking off to help Ash, "Besides, if I had you, I'd be protective too."

Misty smiled after him and watched as he made his way through the crowd to Ash, relieving him of his duties while discreetly motioning towards her. Her smile widened as Ash waded his way back to the stage and resumed his position by her side.

"So, I heard you gave Mark a run for his money?" she asked knowingly, while receiving a confused look from Ash. Dawning soon hit him like a ton of bricks, as he placed his hand behind his head and chuckled nervously.

"Heh, heh…well, I guess I kind of got carried away…" he trailed off.

"I see," she giggled, turning towards him to face him fully.

Ash smiled down at her and realized that he had never seen a more beautiful woman. Her long red wavy hair cascaded down her shoulders and swayed slightly in the breeze. Her twinkling, curious cerulean blue eyes gazed at him with the utmost confidence and happiness. Her pale, smooth skin taunted him and made him remember…

"I almost forgot," he said, breaking their eye contact to reach within the confines of his bag, "I got you something."

"You got me something?"

"Yeah, for Christmas," he answered cheerfully, pulling out the small velvet box he had shown Brock earlier.

Misty took it out of his hands gingerly, almost afraid as if she were going to break its contents. Slowly and carefully, she opened it and gasped in shock at what lay inside. She lifted the small charm up to the light and marveled at how the blue crystal glistened in the noon sunlight.

"Oh Ash…" she whispered, unable to believe that he had gotten her such an extravagant gift, "It's my gym…the badge…"

"Yeah, I kind of thought you'd be homesick and, since you stuck by me and didn't go home for Christmas, I thought I'd bring home to you," he smiled sincerely, glad that her reaction had been better than he expected.

Feeling tears well to the corners of her eyes, Misty's gaze was drawn from the charm to the man standing in front of her. He had matured greatly since she had first met him and, through all the changes they had endured, they had overcome them together. His gift was merely a simple reminder of all the challenges they had been through and the many more that awaited them in the future.

Taking the necklace gently from Misty's grasp, Ash walked behind her and placed it carefully around her neck, clasping the clip successfully. As the clip slid into place, Ash couldn't help but feel as if it symbolized his relationship with Misty.

Without the clip, this _bond_, the necklace would be useless.

And, as Ash faced her once more, all he caught was the blur of her red hair as she threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly. Surprised, but happy nonetheless, he placed his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer towards his body, loving the close contact they now shared.

"Ohh guys!" called Brock in a sing song-y type voice.

At the sound of their friend, both Ash and Misty looked up to see him dangling what could only be guessed as mistletoe while plastering a goofy look on his face.

"Uh...Brock…" stuttered Ash unsurely, but before he could say anything further, Misty firmly planted her lips on his, causing Brock to stumble in surprise at her blunt actions.

As soon as Ash realized what was happening, he closed his eyes, savoring the taste and feel of Misty's soft lips upon his. He lifted his hand up to entangle within her soft locks and used his other hand to tilt her chin up slightly, if only to deepen the kiss.

Misty had one arm draped loosely around Ash's neck while the other caressed his cheek gently. Never had she felt such love and elation from anyone before and, in that moment, she felt her love for the man embracing her crossing all boundaries.

_God, how she loved him._

Slowly separating from the kiss from lack of air, the two rested their foreheads against one another and sighed deeply, opening their eyes simultaneously to gaze into the others.

Ash brought his hand down to caress her cheek, to which Misty responded by leaning into him.

"I love you," he murmured.

Misty smiled lovingly at him, "I know."

Giving her a questioningly look, Misty elaborated, "After all the things you've done for me, I'd be stupid to think it was something other than love," Ash smiled and kissed her cheek, "But, I love you too Ash and you've given me what I truly wanted for Christmas."

"And what's that?"

"You…" she whispered, closing the gap between their lips once more and falling victim to his warmth and soft kisses.

The new couple could vaguely hear Brock and Mark cheering them on, as well as Pikachu celebrating next to them as they were too lost in the spiral of emotions that was now their love.

And that love was the greatest Christmas present of all.

The End

A/N: I know, I know! Okay, so this definitely tips the charts in length as far as my one-shots go, but oh well! And a huge apology for not getting this out in time! Been insanely busy with stuff. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed and hope you all had an awesome Christmas and New Years!


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